Car coupler



W. A. HASSEL JR CAR C LER Filed Aug. 1923 2 Sheets-Shut 1 att'mmg v :Dec. 15, 1925' 1,565.937

W. A. HASSELL, JR

CAR COUPLER Filed Aug. 4. 1923 2 Sheets-Sho0t 2 20:11. Hasseli, Jr:

Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

WILLIAM A. HASSELL, .13., or DOLOMITE, ALABAMA.

CAR COUPLER;

Application filed August 4, 1923. Serial mes -708,

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known thatI', WILLIAM A'. HAssnLL, Jr. ,a citizen of the United States,residing at Dolomite, inthe county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in 1 car couplers andhas as one of its objects to provide acoupler' which will operate automatically in the coupling operation and which may be operated with safety in the uncoupling of the ears in connection with which it is employed.

Another object of the'invention is to provide a coupler so constructed that there will beno likelihood of the coupler link being accidentally withdrawn from the draw head ofthe coupler. v

Another object of the invention is to so construct the draw head of the coupler that when the coupler linkis fitted at one end into the draw head, its opposite end will be supported in proper position to enter the throat of the coupler head upon another car.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of'thc coupler embodying the invention, the cars so with which the component parts of the;

coupler are associated being shown uncoupled;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view indetail through the coupler illustratin the companion heads of the coupler, coupled andshowing the coupler ,link in elevation;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of one of thecoupler heads; I

Figure 4 is aperspective View of the preferred form of coupler link;

Figure 5 is a detail vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating a slightly modified form of coupler link; 7

Figure 7 is a, similar view illustrating another form of link.

The coupler embodying the invention comprises two companion coupler heads, and inasmuch as they are of counterpart construction; a description of one will suflice for both, the coupler further embodying a coupler link, and means for locking the Q ends of the link in the coupler heads when the cars, with which the coupler is equipped, are brought together. The coupler head is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and the same comprises a body portion 2 which is secured in the usual'manner to the draw bar of the war upon which the coupler is to be mounted. The head is provided at its outer end with a throat indicated by the numeral 3 lnving an inclined bottom wall 41, the throat being in fact flared from its inner to its outer end. At its inner end and at the lower side of the throat, it is formed with a rounded shoulder indicated by the numeral 5 upon which the received end of the coupler link is to be supported in the manner most clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The locking means heretofore referred to comprises a locking member 6 having a substantially fiat rear or inner side indicated by the numeral 7, and provided at its lower portion and forward side with a rounded surfaceindicated by the numeral 8. The locking member is keyed or otherwise secured as at 9 upon a shaft 10 which is mounted at its ends in the opposite side walls of the coupler head 1, the head, rearwardly of the throat 3, being recessed in its under side as indicated by the numeral 11, and the forwardsideof the recess being placed in connnunication with the inner end of the throat as shown in Figure 2. The recess is slightly wider than the inner end of the throat 3 as will be evident by reference to Figure 5 of the drawings, so that shoulders 12 are provided at the opposite sides of the inner end of the throat. The locking member 6 is so suspended, through the medium of the shaft vend of the shaft 10 and is preferably pro vided, near its juncture with the shaft, with an angularly and downwardly deflected portion 14 adapting the handle portion ofv the lever to assume a position most convenient for the operation of the lever and at the same time so positioning this portion that it will exert a maximum influence in retaining the locking member 6, by gravity, in an active positlon.

The coupling link is indicated in general by the numeral 15, and in that form of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings, comprises a shank 16 provided at its opposite end with substantially conoidal heads 17 having at their bases squared shoulders 18.

The inner end wall of the coupler head is formed with a recess or socket 18 of dimensions adapting it to receive the head 17 at either end of the coupler link 15. In the use of the coupler, the coupler link 15 is inserted at one end into one of the companion coupler heads 1 in such position that the lower side of its shank will rest upon the rounded shoulder 5 at the inner end of the throat of "the said head, and its entering head 17 will engage in the socket 18, the head being therefore supported in a substantially horizontal position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings.- In this position its other end is adapted to enter the throat of the companion head when the two heads are brought together. Of course, after the heads have been brought together the squared shoulder 18 of the heads of the coupler link will be brought into engagement behind the fiat inner face of the locking members 6, and under conditions of travel, the link will assume substantially the full position shown in said Fig. 2. It will be observed that the lower edge 8 of the locking member 6 is located directly above the rounded seating shoulder a so that the coupler link may readily fulcrum between these two surfaces and have more or less freedom of up and down swinging movement thus permitting the link to readily adapt itself to changes in the relative positions of the coupler heads of two connected cars. This likewise compensates for any difference in elevation of the coupler heads of the two cars, which condition may often be found to exist. The inclined bottom 4L of the throat 3 will, of course, serve to guide the rounded head of the coupler link upwardly into the throat until it passes through the restricted inner end of the throat and engages automatically behind the locking member 6 of the companion coupler head. In uncoupling the cars, the hand lever 13 of either coupler head may be swung upwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings so as to move the locking member 6 to inactive position, whereupon, upon separation of the cars, the previously engaged end of the coupler link will be released and withdrawn from the respective coupler head.

through Ordinarily the coupler will be constructed as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, and as heretofore described, and it will operate in the manner set forth above. However, under some conditions it may be desirable to employ a coupler link of the construction shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, in which figure the link is indicated in general by the numeral 19 and comprises a shank 20 provided at one end with a head 21. corresponding in general form to the head 17 of the link previously described, the shank 20 at its other end being flattened as at 22 and provided in its flattened portion with an opening 23 for the passage therethrough of a locking pin 24 which is removably fitted vertically alined openings 25 formed in the top and bottom walls of the throat of the coupler head.

Under other conditions it may be desirable to employ an ordinary link such as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings and indicated by the numeral 26, in which event one of the locking pins as would be inserted th ough the vertically alined openings of each respective coupler head.

It will be evident that by forming the recess 11 in the under side of the coupler head, snow and ice, and other foreign matter is prevented from accumulating in the space behind the locking member (3 to interfere with operation of the same.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A car coupler comprising a head having a chamber formed therein and having a throat leading from its outer end, said throat being tapered inwardly and at its reduced inner end communicating with said chamber intermediate the width thereof, an inwardlyv opening latch gate pivotally mounted in said chamber adjacent the outer end wall thereof and adapted to contact with the outer end wall at opposite sides of the inner end of said throat when closed, said head having a reduced pocket leading from the inner end wall of said chamber in alinement with the inner end of said throat, and a coupling bar formed with a head at its end of a size to fit loosely into said pocket when the headed end of the coupling bar is thrust inwardly through the throat and chamber and cause the coupling bar to be temporarily supported in substantially axial relation to the coupling head and said coupling bar head when engaged with the inner face of said gate latch having free play in said chamber in all directions to permit the coupling bar to have universal swinging movement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

VILLIAM A. HASSELL, JR. [n s] 

